Halloween Hijinks (A Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 1) (7 page)

“I’m going to drive over to
Bryton Lake after lunch and pick up a couple of short- timers. I’ll see what they have. Maybe I can bring a few additional adoptees as well.”

“Speaking of
Bryton Lake, Levi called. He wanted you to get back to him before you left. He said it was important.”

“Why didn’t he just call me on my cell?”

“He did. He said he left a message, as well as a text, but you didn’t respond.”

I took my phone out of my pocket and realized I’d left it on silent. According to Levi’s text
, he needed me to execute an urgent and sensitive favor. I had to admit he had my interest.

“I’m going to head over to the high school,” I informed Jeremy
. “They should let out for lunch in fifteen minutes or so. I’ll see what Levi wants and then head over to Bryton Lake.” I switched my cell from silent to ring. “I’m leaving Charlie with you since I’m not sure how long I’ll be at the school. Call me if anything comes up.”

“So what’s so urgent?” I asked Levi twenty minutes later.

“I’m afraid there
’s a new victim in the tug-of-war between the Bulldogs and the Beavers; Popeye is missing.”

“They stole Popeye
?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Kidnapping the Bulldog mascot would be a low blow.

“It appears so,” Levi confirmed
. “Kyle Green said he let him out into his backyard this morning, but when he went to let him back in he was gone. The guys are sure the Beavers have him.”

“This prank thing has gone way too
far. We should tell Lamé.”

“We can’t
. If we do, we’ll have to admit our part in the incident and Lamé will most likely fire me and suspend the boys.”

“Your part?”

“The Bulldogs stole Benny’s head.”

I knew that Benny was a giant beaver costume worn by one of the members of the Beaver’s pep squad during football games
. I tried to wrap my head around the absurdity of the situation. Stolen costume? Missing dog? What was the world coming to?

“I need you to arrange for a swap,” Levi
said.

“Me?”

“Lamé has already threatened dire consequences if anyone associated with the team is seen within thirty miles of Bryton Lake. I’ve arranged for you to meet one of the guys from the team and make the switch; their costume for our dog.”

I hesitated.  I guess it wouldn’t hurt to help Levi out since I was
going to Bryton Lake to pick up the shelter animals anyway.  “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

After getting specific directions from Levi, I returned to my truck and headed down the mountain. 
Bryton Lake is a middle-class town wrapped in an upper-class package. The entire town, as well as the high school, has undergone a major redevelopment in an attempt to bring in higher-end tourists. A huge outlet mall was built to replace the mom- and-pop shops that once lined the downtown corridor; fine dining establishments have replaced fast-food chains; the old high school was renamed Bryton Lake Academy, giving the old school an elegant feel.

I parked my truck in the back lot where there was more room to maneuver
. I noticed Coach Griswold’s recently vandalized truck near the new auto shop. When my dad mentioned that Griswold’s truck had been tagged, I assumed it was part of the rivalry between the football teams, but as I read the graffiti I realized my assumption might have been premature. I expected to find tags like
Bullish on Bulldogs
or
Beavers are dammed
. Instead the graffiti conveyed a totally different and much more disturbing type of message. I took a photo of the damaged truck with my phone and continued on toward the meeting place behind the shop buildings, where Levi had indicated I was to meet the team member who would make the swap.

“Cody Blunt
?” I asked the boy loitering behind the metal shop.

“You bring the
costume?” he asked.

“If you brought the dog
,” I countered.

“In the van
.” The boy with the dirty blond hair nodded toward a white cargo van that had seen better days.

“My truck is around front.”

The boy looked nervous, too nervous. We were, after all, simply exchanging goods procured by a friendly pregame raid and not engaging in international espionage.

“
Griswold see you?” The boy wiped beads of sweat from his brow even though the temperature was quite mild.

I shrugged
. “His truck is in the lot, but I didn’t see him. I’m not sure if he saw me. That’s quite some paint job someone did on his ride.”

The boy
’s eyes filled with panic and I began to wonder if the graffiti on the truck had anything to do with the pregame hijinks. The taunts were dark and extremely disturbing.

“You on the team?
” I asked.

“Mascot,” the boy confirmed
.

“So it’s your
costume that’s missing.”

“Look
, I’m toast if I don’t get it back. Can we make the switch?”

“Yeah, okay,” I replied
. “How do you want to do this?”

The boy
nervously scanned the area. “Too many people around. I’ll meet you at the intersection just outside the front gate.”

I shrugged
. “Okay, I’ll be there in five.”

I played my conversation with Cody over and over in my mind as I walked back to my truck
. The kid seemed scared, and not in an I-screwed-up-and-I-might-get-detention way. If I had to guess, I’d say he was being abused by someone. The question was who. Griswold? He seemed the likely candidate, although his fear of losing the beaver costume could have been generated by a parent or teammate.

The switch
went smoothly. I rescued Popeye, picked up five dogs and three cats from the Bryton Lake shelter, and returned home with my task completed but my psyche disturbed.

“This little guy is exactly what Nick Benson has been looking for,” Jeremy commented as he helped me unload and settle our newest residents. “I’ll call him when we’re done here.”

I was
still thinking about Cody Blunt’s haunted eyes and didn’t respond, which was unusual; I’m normally a regular chatterbox.

“Everything okay?” Jeremy asked.

“I’m not sure.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the photo of Coach Griswold’s truck. “Does this look like pregame hijinks to you?”

Jeremy frowned
. “Not really. It looks more like payback for something pretty heinous. Did you show this to Levi?”

“Not yet, but I will
. I had the feeling the kid I met to make the switch was terrified.”

“You think
Griswold is abusing his kids?”

“I don’t know
. Maybe. Or maybe someone else associated with the team. I hate to start making accusations when I have so little to go on.”

“Yeah, you’d better be sure before you sa
y anything,” Jeremy agreed.

After getting the dogs settled, Charlie and I decided to stop by the haunted barn to see if event coordinator Joel Ringer had any extra zombies we could borrow for the run on Saturday. It occurred to me that because the run was scheduled in the morning and the haunted barn didn’t open until later in the afternoon, there might be a brain sucker or two who would be willing to do double duty.

The haunted barn
was held in an actual barn located just outside of town. One of the advantages of using the barn as a haunted house was that it was pretty darn spooky on its own, requiring little in the way of decoration. Real cobwebs hung from dusty rafters that could be accentuated with artificial cobwebs bearing real spiders. Imitation walls were erected to create narrow spaces and multiple rooms. The barn didn’t open for another hour, but there was already a line snaking through the graveyard and down the narrow dirt road leading to the main highway.

Charlie and
I had no desire to wait for the event to open so we skirted the line and headed toward a side door.

“Hey, Zoe, what brings you out?” Joel asked as Charlie and I entered the building.

“What happened to this place?
” The entire room was covered with graffiti.

“Looks like the Halloween Hijinks started early this year
. It appears a group of kids broke in last night,” Joel said. “At least I assume it was kids. I don’t really see adults doing something like this. Not only was the lock broken and the walls tagged with colorful epitaphs but there was an assortment of beer bottles all over the floor.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I fixed the lock, picked up the beer bottles, and decided to incorporate the graffiti into the design. I painted over all the more graphic words and pictures.”

“Good thinking
.” I was impressed at Joel’s ability to keep his cool in the face of the vandalism. I walked to the wall and considered the artwork. I was certain at least some of the comments had been painted by the same person or persons who had tagged Griswold’s truck. The lettering used on some of the words was distinctive in design.

“And you have no idea who might have done this?
” I asked.

“
Not a clue. I heard about the break-ins in town and thought it could be related, but after I thought about it, it seemed like my intruders were after a cool place to party rather than merchandise of any type.”

“Was anything taken?”

“Not as far as I can tell. So what can I do for you and Charlie?”

“We
wanted to ask you about borrowing some of your zombies for the run Saturday morning. I’m afraid with the game the day before, the football players are totally focused on decimating Bryton Lake and only a few have signed up.”

“I should have a few
guys willing to help you out. What time do you need them?”

“Seven?
” I knew that was early for the walking dead and was afraid the early start would scare off potential runners. “Seven-thirty if they show up already in makeup.”

“The haunted barn goes until after midnight
on Friday night, so I’m not sure how many volunteers I’ll get, but I’ll certainly ask.”

“Thanks.
” I smiled.

“Let me show you the new mechanics I’ve been working on,” Joel offered.

I followed him to the back of the barn where a drop-down ladder hung from the loft above. I told Charlie to say before climbing up after him. I was more than a little surprised by the amount of equipment needed to pull off the spooky spectacular.

“Wow
. I had no idea so much went into this.” I was honestly impressed.

“It’s quite a production
.” Joel grinned. “Check this out.” He pushed a series of buttons and the dummies below came to life. I laughed as Charlie began barking at a mechanical skeleton on the floor below us.

“We were able to add a torture chamber this year with the money we had left from last year
’s production,” Joel proudly informed me. “The blood may be fake, but I guarantee this room is going to terrify even the most skeptical reveler. Come on, I’ll show you.”

I followed Joel past signs warning that children and those with health conditions should avoid the exhibit.
It looked like this year’s haunted barn was going to be the best one ever.

After leaving the barn, Charlie and I decided to stop by the hospital to visit Warren Trent. Ashton Falls Community Hospital is little more than a clinic where minor injuries and routine surgeries are attended to, saving the citizens of our community a trip down the mountain to the larger hospital in the metropolis below.

“Afternoon
, Zoe, Charlie,” Dr. Ryder Westlake greeted us. Dr. Westlake was not only a babe but an all-around nice guy as well. If it weren’t for his support, Charlie’s desire to volunteer as a therapy dog would never have seen fruition. “Are you here to do the therapy thing?”

“Sort of,” I responded
. “Charlie and I thought we’d drop in on Warren Trent. How’s he doing?”

“Not as well as I’d hoped
, I’m afraid. It looks like he’s going to need surgery.” Dr. Westlake’s bright green eyes revealed genuine concern. “Without it, the bone might not heal the way we’d like. He’s too young to struggle with a limp for the rest of his life.”

“That’s too bad,” I
said. “Will you need to send him down the mountain?”

“Ye
s, he’ll need to see a specialist.” I followed Dr. Westlake’s strong hand as he ran it through his dark brown hair. I’d noticed similar behavior when he had a problem that didn’t sit quite right. “I’m sure he’ll welcome a visit, though. If we can work out the details, we’ll transport him down the mountain before the weekend.”

“Okay, then
, we’ll head back. It was good talking to you.”